Question
After congenital preauricular fistula surgery, there is always redness and swelling. Do I need another surgery? What are the associated costs?
Answer
Patients with preauricular fistula infections generally do not require treatment if there are no symptoms. If infection and inflammatory symptoms occur, antibiotic treatment or procedures such as purulent abscess incision and drainage, along with regional dressing changes, should be adopted. After the infection is controlled and the regional wounds have healed, the fistula excision surgery can then be performed. Before the surgery, a blue dye can be injected into the fistula and a probe used to examine the lumen. The surgery should aim to completely and thoroughly remove the fistula and its branches in one go to avoid leaving any residual fistula that could lead to recurrent infection and increased surgical difficulty.